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ADDRESS 


DELIVERED    BEFORE    THE 


TWO  LITERARY  SOCIETIES 


niVERSITT  or  lORTH  CAEOLINA, 


MAY    31,    1848, 


WILLIAM    EATON,    Jr 


PUBLISHED    BY    ORDER    OF     THE     SOCIETY. 


FAYETTEVILLE,  N.  C. 
PUBLISHED    BY   EDWARD    J.    HALE 

1848. 


Philanthropic  Hall,  August  8lh,  1S48. 
Sir: 

The  undersigned  have  the  honor  to  express  to  yon,  in  behalf  of  tlie  Philan- 
thropic  Society,  their  grateful  thanks  for  your  very  interesting  and  eloquent 
Address,  delivered  before  the  two  Literary  Societies  of  the  University  on  the 
day  preceding  the  Annual  Commencement,  and  earnestly  request  a  copy  for 
publication. 

With  great  respect, 
>,  Your  obedient  servants, 

T.  M.  Arrington,  i 
J.  DE  B.  Mallett,  >  Committee. 
C.  R.  Thomas,        ) 
William  Eaton,  Jr  ,  Esq. 


Warrento7i,  August  l2lh,  1848. 
Gentlemen: 

I  have  received  your  note  of  the  8th  instant,  requesting  for  publication  a 
copy  of  the  Address  delivered  by  myself  on  the  day  preceding  the  last  Annual 
Commencement  at  Chapel  Hill.  While  I  am  conscious  that  the  Society  by 
which  you  have  been  appointed  a  committee  to  make  this  request  has  too 
favorably  estimated  the  Address,  I  have  still  felt  it  my  duty  to  comply  vi'ith 
established  usage  upon  occasions  of  the  kind.  Permit  me  to  return  to  the 
Philanthropic  Society,  through  you  as  its  committee,  my  grateful  thanks  for  this 
mark  of  its  favorable  opinion ;  and  accept,  yourselves,  my  acknowledgments 
for  the  courteous  terms  in  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  communicate  its 
wishes. 

With  great  esteem. 

Your  friend  and  fellow  member, 

Wm.  Eaton,  Jr. 
Messrs.  T.  M.  Arrington,  ^ 

J.  DE  B.  Mallett,  >  Committee,  c^-c. 
C.  R.  Thomas,        ) 


ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Dialectic  and  Philanthropic  Societies — 

In  appearing  before  you  on  this  deeply  interesting  occasion, 
1  am  sensible  of  my  inability  to  discharge  the  duty  assigned 
me,  with  those  captivating  graces  of  oratory  which  have  dis- 
tinguished the  efforts  of  my  predecessors.  I  have  been  in- 
duced, however,  to  accept  the  invitation  with  which  I  have 
been  honored,  from  a  sincere  desire  to  gratify  the  wishes  of 
that  esteemed  Literary  Society  M'hich  has  made  me  its  repre- 
sentative here,  however  humble  the  tribute  which  I  may  be 
able  to  bring  to  this  temple  of  learning.  The  topic  to  which 
your  attention  is  solicited  for  a  few  moments,  is  the  literary 
prospects  of  our  beloved  country.  Foreign  criticism  has  often 
observed  that  our  literature  does  not  admit  of  comparison  with 
that  of  the  most  enlightened  nations  of  Europe,  in  the  number, 
variety,  and  excellence  of  its  productions.  We  are  not  so  far 
blinded  by  national  prejudice  or  vanity  as  to  deny  the  truth  of 
the  remark,  but  there  is  certainly  no  inferiority  of  intellect  on 
the  part  of  our  countrymen.  It  would  have  been  a  subject 
which  might  well  excite  surprise,  if  America,  under  existing 
circumstances,  could  have  aspired  to  a  literary  rivalship  with 
Great  Britain  or  France,  or  could  have  risen  to  commanding 
eminence  in  science  or  letters.  If  we  were  to  ask  one  of  our 
transatlantic  kindred,  who  were  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the 
literature  of  his  country,  he  would  point  to  Shakspeare,  to  Mil- 
ton, and  to  the  brilliant  constellation  of  geniuses  that  adorned 


the  literary  firmament  of  Great  Britain  during  the  reign  of 
Queen  Anne.  Coming  down  to  a  more  recent  period,  he 
would  probably  mention,  with  proud  satisfaction,  the  illustrious 
names  of  Johnson,  Burke,  and  many  others  who  flourished 
about  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution.  When  Shak- 
speare  and  Milton  wrote  their  immortal  productions,  our  coun- 
try was  almost  entirely  in  the  possession  of  beasts  of  prey  and 
Indian  tribes.  During  the  reign  of  Anne,  which  has  been  re- 
garded as  the  Augustan  age  of  British  learning,  we  had  only 
three  colleges,  very  poorly  endowed,  and  exceedingly  deficient 
in  all  the  means  of  instruction,  and  scarcely  a  single  press  on 
this  side  of  the  Ocean.  A  few  spots  of  imperfect  cultiva- 
tion might  be  seen  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  the  axe  and  the 
ploughshare  had  never  asserted  their  dominion  among  the 
stately  forests  of  the  interior.  Our  country  was  still  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness.  Her  noblest  rivers  were  only  skimmed 
by  the  frail  bark  of  the  savage,  and  her  lakes  and  inland  seas 
were  sleeping  "in  the  primeval  silence  of  nature."  Even  at 
the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  our  population  was  some- 
what less  than  three  millions.  That  population  was  scattered 
over  an  extended  tract  of  territor}^  was  struggling  with  the 
difliculties  incident  to  the  recent  settlement  of  the  country, 
and  was  very  imperfectly  supplied  with  the  means  of  intellec- 
tual improvement.  A  people  so  situated  could  not  be  expected 
to  explore  the  depths  of  science  or  to  gather  the  garlands  of 
the  Muses.  The  diligent  and  successful  cultivation  of  polite 
literature  was  still  more  impracticable  during  the  mighty  tem- 
pest of  the  Revolution  itself.  One  species  of  literature  might 
have  been  expected  from  the  struggle  for  independence :  elo- 
quence of  a  high  order ;  and  such  was  displayed  in  our  deli- 
berative assemblies  and  in  the  political  publications  of  that  day. 
Henry's  bold  and  commanding  oratory  would  have  reflected 
no  discredit  upon  the  ancient  republics.  The  memorials  and 
other  state  papers  of  the  period  under  review,  were  honored 
by  the  high  eulogy  of  Chatham  and  Burke.  They  have  been 
justly  admired  for  force  of  argument,  chaste,  manly,  and  dig- 
nified eloquence;  and  fervid  patriotism.  They  contain  rich 
treasures  of  political  wisdom,  and  noble  lessons  of  civil  liberty. 


After  tlie  dark  and  troubled  night  of  the  Revolution  had  passed 
away,  the  attention  of  our  gifted  men  was  for  many  years  de- 
voted almost  entirely  to  the  improvement  of  our  infant  insti- 
tutions, and  to  the  service  of  our  country  in  legislative,  execu- 
tive, and  judicial  stations,  during  the  critical  and  trying  season 
of  her  early  independence.  She  needed  the  ellorts  of  her 
ablest  sons,  for  the  peace  of  1783  found  her  exhausted  by  the 
havoc  and  desolation  of  a  seven  years'  v/ar  ;  overwhelmed  by 
debt  both  private  and  public,  and  with  an  inadequate  reve- 
nue, a  crippled  commerce,  a  deranged  currency,  and  an  ex- 
ceedingly defective  system  of  government.  The  writings  of 
our  eminent  statesmen  during  this  era  of  our  history  are  highly 
distinguished  for  vigor  of  thought,  profound  knowledge  of  the 
subjects  discussed,  and  excellence  of  composition,  and  prove 
beyond  all  doubt  that  their  authors  might  have  enriched  and 
embellished  the  literature  of  the  age  by  the  productions  of  their 
genius,  if  patriotism  and  duty  had  not  summoned  them  to  other 
fields  of  fame.  The  pen  of  Jefferson,  jMadison,  Hamilton,  or 
Ames,  might,  under  different  circumstances,  have  produced 
historical  performances,  to  compare  favorably  with  the  labors 
of  Gibbon,  Robertson,  or  Hume.  During  every  stage  of  our 
existence  as  a  people,  most  of  our  able  men  have  been  lured 
from  the  paths  of  letters  to  the  theatre  of  public  or  profes- 
sional life.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  literary  pursuits  will 
be  m(9re  favorably  appreciated  when  our  rapidly  growing 
country  shall  afford  a  fairer  field  to  the  scholar  and  brighter 
rewards  to  works  of  merit. 

An  opinion  has  prevailed  among  many  foreigners,  and  has 
been  adopted  by  some  enlightened  and  patriotic  citizens  of  our 
own  country,  that  the  United  States  will  never  become  emi- 
nent as  regards  literary  fame.  We  propose  very  briefly  to 
review  some  of  the  more  prominent  reasons  which  have  been 
advanced  by  persons  of  talents  and  information  in  support  of 
this  opinion,  which  is  so  well  calculated  to  wound  our  national 
pride. 

It  has  been  frequently  observed  that  America  furnishes  no 
materials  for  poetry  and  romance.  Our  origin  is  of  such  re- 
cent date  when  compared  with  that  of  other  nations  equally 


6 

powerful,  that  our  history  has  less  variety  of  incident,  and  has 
been  less  obscured  by  the  mists  of  fable  and  tradition,  than 
that  of  many  nations  of  the  old  world ;  and  for  these  reasons 
it  may  be  as  yet  somewhat  less  susceptible  of  the  embellish- 
ments of  fancy  and  fiction,  than  it  would  have  been  under 
other  circumstances,  and  will  be  hereafter.  But  the  story  of 
the  past  is  by  no  means  dull  and  spiritless.  American  history, 
from  the  time  when  the  fleet  of  Columbus  first  spread  its  can- 
vass to  the  breeze  on  the  coast  of  Spain  until  the  achievement 
of  our  national  independence,  will  be  read  with  a  deep  and 
lively  interest  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Our  country  dur- 
ing this  period  exhibited  scenes,  incidents,  and  characters,  en- 
tirely novel  and  peculiar,  and  opened  a  wide  and  various  field 
for  real  and  for  fictitious  narrative.  The  manners,  habits,  and 
customs  of  that  extraordinary  and  ill-fated  race,  the  abori- 
gines of  America ;  the  character  of  the  colonists  themselves, 
those  adventurous  pioneers  in  the  mighty  wilderness  of  the 
West ;  the  deadly  conflicts  between  the  Indian  tribes  and  the 
European  emigrants  ;  the  devastating  war  between  the  crowns 
of  Great  Britain  and  France  for  supremacy  in  North  America, 
which  terminated  in  the  surrender  of  Canada  by  the  latter 
power,  particularly  the  defeat  of  Braddock,  the  tragedy  of  Fort 
William  Henry,  and  the  siege  of  Quebec ;  and  above  all,  the 
heroic  achievements  of  the  Revolutionary  contest,  present 
"  mines  of  literary  treasure,"  themes  for  the  "  spirit-stirring 
song  and  the  chivalrous  story."  Surely  works  of  imagination 
might  be  wrought  by  a  man  of  genius  out  of  materials  like 
these.  We  need  not  look  to  Europe  for  all  of  the  subjects  of 
poetical  or  prose  fiction,  rich  as  she  is  in  historical  reminis- 
cences and  in  legendary  tales.  Fields  of  fancy,  brightened 
with  verdure  and  fragrant  with  flowers,  may  be  found  on  this 
side  of  the  broad  Atlantic.  Cooper,  by  the  exciting  incidents 
and  the  glowing  descriptions  of  the  beauties  of  nature  to  be 
found  in  his  American  novels,  has  proved  that  a  writer  of  ro- 
mance will  hazard  nothing  by  laying  the  scene  of  his  story  in 
these  bright  regions  of  the  West.  The  wild  and  picturesque 
scenery  of  America,  unequalled  by  that  of  Europe  in  extended 
and  lofty  ranges  of  mountains,  majestic  streams  and  noble  catar- 


7 

acts,  the  thrilling  events  of  our  early  and  indeed  oiir  recent  his 
tory,  and  the  striking  features  of  the  American  character,  will 
afford  various  and  abundant  materials  for  national  literature. 
Nor  will  American  authors  be  restricted  to  the  scenes,  events, 
or  characters  of  their  native  land,  although  most  of  them  would 
be  apt  to  prefer  topics  which  awaken  a  peculiar  and  local  in- 
terest at  home.     British  genius  has  not  confined  its  ilights  to 
the  shores  of  Albion.     Addison  sung  the  charms  of  immortal 
Italy.     Byron,  when  a  young  man,  resided  in  Greece,  and  it 
has  been  truly  observed  by  Macaulay,  that  much  of  his  most 
splendid  and  most  popular  poetry  was  inspired  by  its  scenery 
and  its  history.     Campbell  did  not  regard  America  as  unworthy 
of  song,  and  places  the  scene  of  one  of  his  sweetest  poems 
upon   the  verdant  and  beautiful  banks   of  the  Susquehanna. 
The  author  of  Waverley,  the  prince  of  modern  novelists,  has 
not  only  rendered  Scotland  classic  soil,  and  erected  enduring 
trophies  in  England,  but  he  has  gathered  green  wreaths   of 
fame  from  the  "  vine-clad  hills''  of  France,  from  the  mountains 
of  Switzerland,  and  from  the  valley  of  the  Rhine.     He  has 
even  passed  beyond  the  limits  of  Europe,  and  rendered  the 
holy  land  itself  tributary  to  his  renown.  Other  instances  might 
be  mentioned  of  British  writers  who  have  signalized  their  tal- 
ents on  foreign  ground,  and  among  them  Shakspeare  himselfj 
many  of  whose  best  plays  have  been  wrought  out  of  foreign 
materials,  and  the  elegant  historians  Robertson  and  Gibbon. 

The  language  which  we  speak,  our  national  descent,  and 
our  commercial  relations  with  Great  Britain,  have  been  alleged 
to  be  unfavorable  to  originality  in  the  productions  of  genius, 
and  it  has  been  apprehended  that  our  American  writers  will 
occupy  the  position  of  mere  imitators,  who  will  only  shine  in 
borrowed  jewels  from  abroad.  It  ought  not  to  be  a  subject  of 
regret  in  any  point  of  view  that  we  speak  the  language  of 
Addison  and  Pope,  and  enjoy  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  a 
liberal  and  enriching  commerce  with  the  most  enlightened  na- 
tion of  the  old  world.  The  United  States  ought  to  be  entirely 
and  perfectly  independent  of  Great  Britain,  so  far  as  foreign 
influence  in  matters  of  government  and  political  power  are 
concerned,  as  she  undoubtedly  is ;  but  national  independence 


8. 

and  a  just  national  pride  do  not  forbid  our  people  from  admiring 
the  truths  of  her  philosophy,  the  eloquence  of  her  orators,  or 
the  beauty  of  her  bards.  It  is  fortunate  for  our  countrymen 
that  they  have  an  opportunity  to  drink  deeply  at  the  pure,  re- 
freshing, and  invigorating  fountains  of  British  learning,  wis- 
dom, and  genius.  Our  mother  tongue  has  been  adorned  by 
many  of  the  noblest  productions  of  the  human  mind  in  almost 
every  department  of  composition,  and  with  American  readers 
their  beauties  are  not  dimmed  by  translation  or  by  an  imper- 
fect knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  original.  The  litera- 
ture of  Great  Britain  places  before  young  America  high  stand- 
ards of  excellence  both  in  prose  and  poetry,  and  it  is  calculated 
to  engender  feelings  of  noble  emulation.  That  literature  has 
exercised  an  elevating  influence  upon  the  mind,  the  morals,  and 
the  taste  of  the  British  nation.  Its  influences  and  effects  have 
been  and  will  be  equally  auspicious  and  favorable  within  our 
own  precincts.  Surely  nothing  which  improves  the  intellect, 
refines  the  taste,  and  elevates  and  purifies  the  moral  feelings 
and  sentiments  of  a  people,  can  be  really  detrimental  to  the 
interests  of  their  native  literature.  If  there  be  much  of  force 
in  the  argument  which  we  have  endeavored  to  meet,  Britons 
themselves,  as  well  as  Americans,  must  hereafter  be  imitators ; 
the  career  of  every  nation  which  has  already  become  re- 
nowned in  letters  must  be  a  downward  career,  and  the  best 
libraries  will  be  unfavorable  to  future  excellence  in  the  produc- 
tions of  the  mind.  We  may  have  some  writers  whose  works 
will  be  cold  and  imitative,  and  who  may  draw  rather  too  freely 
upon  the  mental  treasures  of  England,  but  we  trust  that  their 
feeble  efforts  will  not  be  considered  to  be  fair  specimens  of 
American  literature.  A  man  of  a  high  order  of  talents  will 
profit  by  the  labors  of  others,  but,  proudly  conscious  of  his 
native  strength,  he  will  not  become  the  mere  copyist  of  any 
author,  however  illustrious.  Some  of  our  recent  productions 
have  exhibited  that  superiority  of  intellect  which  proves,  if  any 
evidence  were  necessary,  that  American  genius  can  safely  rely 
upon  its  own  powers,  without  descending  to  the  task  of  servile 
imitation.  Whence  did  Irving  borrow  that  inimitable  elegance 
which  renders  his  lighter  productions  as  well  as  his  more  labored 


performances  the  delight  of  every  reader?  Whom  did  Ban- 
croft imitate  in  the  bold  sketches  of  his  vivid  pencil,  and  his 
eloquent  and  animated  narrative  ?  After  what  model  did  Pres- 
cott  fashion  in  the  formation  of  his  simple,  yet  dignified,  easy, 
and  beautitul  style  ?  These  three  wa'iters  have  passed  trium- 
phantly through  the  ordeal  of  European  criticism.  Irving's 
Life  of  Columbus,  Bancroft's  History  of  the  United  States, 
and  all  of  the  histories  written  by  Prescott,  stand  among  the 
very  best  historical  performances  of  the  present  age  ;  and  they 
certainly  display  those  striking  peculiarities  of  style  and  senti- 
ment which  are  so  apt  to  mark  the  otfspring  of  true  genius. 
While  we  have  spoken  in  favorable  terms  of  the  general  effects 
of  British  literature  in  the  United  States,  we  are  well  aware 
that  there  are  some  of  its  influences  against  which  American 
readers  ought  to  be  on  their  guard.  The  partialities  of  British 
writers  towards  their  own  institutions  render  them  unsafe 
guides  to  us  in  matters  relating  to  political  science,  and  some 
of  their  most  admired  historical  writings  have  not  been  distin- 
guished for  justice  and  candor.  It  must  be  admitted,  too,  that 
the  British  press,  now  prolific  beyond  all  former  example,  is 
constantly  throwing  off  numerous  works  of  fiction,  many  of 
which  are  entirely  worthless,  and  others  evidently  calculated 
to  enervate  the  mind,  vitiate  the  taste,  and  deprave  the  moral 
principles.  You  should  never  abandon  the  standard  literature 
of  Great  Britain  for  these  frivolous  and  mischievous  produc- 
tions. You  will  find  the  sublime  song  of  Milton,  the  charming 
melody  of  Pope,  the  classic  purity  of  Addison,  the  chaste 
beauties  of  Goldsmith,  the  rich  treasures  of  the  moral  wisdom 
of  Johnson,  and  the  pure,  instructive  and  fascinating  stories  of 
Scott,  much  more  worthy  of  your  attention  than  the  last  novels 
and  romances  which  are  now  flooding  our  country. 

Among  other  causes  supposed  to  be  unfavorable  to  the 
growth  of  letters  in  America,  it  has  been  said  that  we  have  no 
great  capital  like  England  or  France.  We  certainly  have  no 
London  or  Paris  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  in  this  respect 
we  labor  under  some  disadvantages,  especially  as  regards  the 
elegant  arts  and  several  branches  of  science  and  philosophy ; 
but  it  is  not  admitted  that  these  disadvantages  are  as  great  as 


10 

some  have  alleged.  New  York,  the  great  and  growing  metro- 
polis of  the  Western  World,  has  at  this  time  more  inhabitants 
than  Vienna,  and  is  probably  surpassed  by  no  city  in  England 
except  London,  in  population,  wealth,  commerce,  and  magnifi- 
cence, rhiladelphia  is  very  nearly  as  populous  as  Glasgow  or 
Dublin,  more  so  than  any  city  in  Spain,  or  indeed  any  in 
France  with  the  exception  of  Paris  itself  So  far  as  the  influ- 
ence of  large  cities  is  concerned  in  promoting  the  advance- 
ment of  the  arts  and  of  letters,  our  difficulties  must  diminish 
with  the  lapse  of  time.  Our  rapidly  increasing  trade,  and  our 
unrivalled  facilities  of  internal  communication  both  by  land 
and  water,  must  exert  the  most  auspicious  effect  upon  the  cities 
of  the  United  States.  These  cities  must  greatly  advance  in 
population  and  wealth,  as  well  as  in  intelligence,  refinement 
and  taste.  Our  country  may  not  for  generations  behold  any 
thing  within  her  limits  equal  to  some  of  the  ancient  and  proud 
capitals  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  ;  but  she  certainly  will 
have  many  cities  sufficiently  large,  populous  and  wealthy  to 
become  nurseries  of  the  fine  arts,  to  aflbrd  to  men  of  science 
an  opportunity  to  prosecute  their  researches  to  advantage,  and 
to  stimulate  and  reward  literary  talent.  Before  the  expiration 
of  any  considerable  period  of  time  the  United  States  must 
have  many  cities  as  populous  as  Edinburgh,  the  great  focus  of 
Scotch  taste,  science  and  learning,  and  a  place  almost  as  famous 
in  letters  as  London  itself  The  literary  institutions  of  Ger- 
many have  acquired  a  high  and  enviable  reputation,  and  have 
surpassed  those  of  England  and  France  in  a  profound  and  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  the  ancient  classics.  That  country  has 
been  called  the  land  of  scholars.  In  relation  to  the  opportuni- 
ties of  improvement  afforded  by  large  towns,  Germany  has 
now  no  great  advantage  over  the  United  States,  and  in  a  few 
years  will  have  no  advantage  at  all.  In  some  respects  large 
cities  were  more  essential  to  literature  in  ancient  than  in 
modern  times.  Among  the  Greeks  and  Romans  books  were 
rare  and  not  easy  to  be  procured.  Copies  were  multiplied 
slowly  and  with  great  difficulty.  Valuable  libraries  were  rarely 
to  be  found  except  in  places  of  considerable  importance. 
Much  of  the  information  of  those  days  was  communicated 


11 

orally,  and  was  never  placed  in  a  permanent  and  endurina; 
form.  These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  the  learned  among 
the  ancients  were  so  much  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  impe- 
rial Rome  and  classic  Athens  to  prosecute  their  studies  and  to 
enlarge  their  knowledge.  But  the  art  of  printing,  in  its  present 
high  state  of  improvement,  and  the  steam  engine,  have  con- 
tributed greatly  to  the  diffusion  of  letters.  Literature  in 
modern  times  finds  its  way  not  only  into  the  splendid  capital 
and  the  crowded  mart,  but  also  into  the  inland  village,  and 
€ven  among  the  silent  shades  of  rural  retirement. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  stronger  national  government  would 
have  been  favorable  to  the  culture  of  letters.  From  this  opin- 
ion we  entirely  dissent.  Ancient  Greece  has  been  called  "  a 
cluster  of  little  republics,"  and  her  literary  excellence  has  been 
attributed  in  a  considerable  degree  to  the  noble  emulation 
which  fired  the  bosoms  of  her  distinguished  men.  There  were 
certainly  feebler  ties  of  connection  among  the  Grecian  States 
before  they  wore  the  chains  of  Macedonia,  than  there  are 
among  the  members  of  the  American  Union.  The  Confede- 
racy of  Grecian  Republics,  associated  together  under  the  Am- 
phyctionic  Council,  the  most  intimate  political  relationship  that 
ever  existed  between  them  in  the  days  of  their  freedom  and 
glory,  has  been  very  properly  compared  by  the  author  of  the 
*Federalist  to  the  old  Confederation  of  the  American  States. 
The  federal  features  of  our  beautiful  system  are  highly  favora- 
ble to  virtue,  liberty  and  happiness,  and  they  will  exert  no  un- 
propitious  influence  upon  the  intellect  of  America.  The  inter- 
ests of  virtue,  liberty  and  letters  are  entirely  inseparable,  as 
they  always  have  been  in  every  age  and  in  every  region  of  the 
world.  Emulation  among  neighboring  States  will  here  become 
an  incentive  to  exertion  and  the  parent  of  excellence,  as  it  cer- 
tainly was  in  the  ancient  cradle  of  the  arts.  During  the  bloody 
battles  of  our  recent  war,  the  regiments  of  the  different  States 
felt  the  inspiring  influence  of  a  generous  and  manly  rivalship. 
In  the  victories  of  peace,  more  mild  but  not  less  glorious  than 
the  triumphs  of  the  field,  in  the  rapid  improvement  of  our 

*  Federalist,  page  79. 


12 

country,  and  in  costly  and  liberal  provisions  for  the  education! 
of  the  poor,  the  same  auspicious  influences  of  State  competi- 
tion have  been  felt  among  the  various  members  of  our  happy 
Union.  Similar  feelings  and  sentiments  vv^ill  exert  a  salutary 
effect  upon  American  science  and  literature.  If  the  States  of 
our  Confederacy  were  melted  down  into  one  common  mass,  if 
the  lines  which  mark  their  limits  were  blotted  from  the  map  al- 
together, or  were  regarded  as  of  no  more  importance  than  mere 
county  boundaries,  so  that  the  traveller  would  scarcely  pause 
to  inquire  when  he  left  the  Empire  State  and  when  he  passed 
into  Pennsylvania,  the  scholar  would  have  as  little  reason  as  the 
statesman  to  rejoice  over  the  ruins  of  our  temple  of  freedom. 
The  monarchists  of  the  old  world  have  remarked  that  our 
i^epublican  institutions  will  never  afford  that  patronage  to 
learning  which  is  requisite  to  its  successful  cultivation.  The 
American  author  cannot  expect  to  enjoy  the  smiles  of  court 
favor,  or  to  bask  in  the  sunbeams  of  princely  patronage.  He 
must  rely  upon  his  own  merit  and  the  public  intelligence.  No 
munificent  pension  can  be  expected  as  the  meed  of  literary 
excellence,  however  shining  and  distinguished.  The  national 
government  has  no  power  upon  the  subject  of  literature,  but 
simply  to  grant  copyrights,  and  if  the  State  governments  have 
the  power  to  patronize  works  of  genius  by  generous  pecuniary 
donations,  it  is  a  power  which  they  will  probably  never  exer- 
cise. Indeed,  we  do  not  regard  such  patronage  as  being  with- 
in the  sphere  of  a  wise  and  judicious  policy.  The  American 
States  ought  always  to  secure  to  their  people  the  very  best  sys- 
tems of  popular  instruction,  and  also  to  provide  for  their  youth 
seminaries  of  learning  of  the  first  class,  where  a  complete, 
thorough  and  finished  education  may  be  acquired.  Many  of 
the  States  have  already  manifested  a  wise  and  enlightened  lib- 
erality upon  this  subject,  and  others  will  probably  emulate 
their  bright  example.  But  the  reading  public  is  the  proper 
tribunal  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  a  poem,  a  history,  or  any 
other  literary  performance,  and  to  consign  its  author  to  the 
shades  of  oblivion,  or  to  bestow  upon  him  the  appropriate  re- 
wards of  fame  and  profit.  Public  patronage  will  be  dispensed 
with  more  justice  and  impartiality,  and  more  sagacity  and  dis- 


13 

■crimination,  than  that  of  princes  or  rulers  of  any  kind.  What 
mighty  resuhs  has  patronage  from  government  to  illustrious 
writers  accomplished  for  the  cause  of  literature  in  ancient  or 
modern  times  ?  The  land  of  Homer  and  Sophocles  was  but 
little  indebted  to  such  aid  for  the  admirable  productions  of  its 
intellect.  The  author  of  the  Iliad  is  not  much  known  to  the 
moderns  except  through  the  medium  of  his  poetry.  It  is  be- 
lieved, however,  that  he  was  both  poor  and  blind.  The  re- 
wards which  were  sometimes  bestowed  in  Greece  upon  happy 
efforts  of  genius  in  composition,  by  public  authority,  were 
merely  honorary,  such  for  instance  as  a  crown  or  a  garland  to 
the  author  of  the  best  comedy  or  tragedy.  The  entertain- 
ments of  the  stage  were  a  source  of  serious  expense  to  the 
Athenians,  but  this  expense  was  incurred  in  extraordinary 
theatrical  pomp  and  decoration  and  exquisite  music,  and  not 
in  any  pecuniary  compensation  from  the  treasury  to  the  wri- 
ters of  the  best  dramatic  performances.  Pericles  had  more 
just  claims  to  the  character  of  a  patron  of  genius  than  any 
statesman  of  his  country.  When  at  the  height  of  his  power 
and  his  fame,  he  embellished  the  city  of  Athens  with  costly, 
elegant  and  durable  buildings,  and  with  splendid  specimens  of 
painting  and  sculpture,  but  we  are  not  informed  that  he  be- 
stowed any  considerable  encouragement  upon  that  noble  litei'- 
ature  which  has  survived  her  finest  architecture,  and  which 
still  flourishes  in  unfading  beauty  when 

"  the  palo  ivy's  clasping  wreaths  o'ershade 
The  ruined  temple's  moss-elad  colonnade." 

The  classic  land  ov/es  much  more  to  liberty  than  to  patronage, 
so  far  as  its  renown  in  letters  is  concerned. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  literary  fame  of  ancient 
Rome  was  very  materially  advanced  by  the  smiles  of  power. 
The  patronage  of  Caesar  Augustus  and  his  favorite  Maecenas 
has  been  greatly  extolled,  but  even  that  in  some  respects  ex- 
ercised an  influence  unfavorable  to  Roman  literature.  It  cer- 
tainly caused  Virgil  and  Horace  to  degrade  their  noble  genius- 
es by  the  niost  extravagant  adulation  of  the  Roman  Emperor. 


M 

How  far  the  Imperial  Augustus  was  a  proper  subject  for  high- 
wrought  and  glowing  panegyric,  we  can  best  discern,  when 
we  remember  that  he  was  nothing  more  than  a  successful 
usurper,  and  that  in  order  to  purchase  power  he  bartered  away 
the  life  of  the  great  statesman,  patriot  and  orator,  who,  "  after 
having  baffled  the  conspiracy  of  Catiline,  enabled  Rome  to 
contend  with  Athens  for  the  palm  of  eloquence."  The  ora- 
tions of  Cicero,  which  many  have  regarded  as  the  purest  and 
brightest  gems  of  Italy,  were  the  proud  offspring  of  the  repub- 
lic. The  voice  of  eloquence  was  hushed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tiber,  as  it  had  been  previously  in  Greece,  after  the  downfall 
of  freedom.  The  poets  who  flourished  during  the  Augustan 
age,  and  who  have  given  such  splendor  and  eclat  to  that 
epoch,  would  probably  have  composed  their  excellent  works  if 
Rome  had  retained  her  popular  institutions,  and  they  might 
have  manifested  a  spirit  more  worthy  of  the  countrymen  of 
Cato. 

The  literature  of  Great  Britain  is  indebted  for  its  brilliant 
success,  not  to  the  smiles  of  kings  or  the  favor  of  ministers, 
but  to  its  own  intrinsic  excellence,  and  to  the  taste,  intelli- 
gence and  liberality  of  the  nation  itself  The  great  fathers  of 
British  literature  were  honored  by  no  munificence  from  the 
throne.  Shakspeare  went  down  to  the  grave  unrewarded, 
and  the  author  of  Paradise  Lost  spent  the  sad  evening  of  his 
blind  and  venerable  old  age  in  poverty  and  neglect.  Butler 
and  Dryden,  as  we  are  informed  by  Hume,  lived  and  died  in 
want.  During  subsequent  periods  in  the  English  annals,  how 
often  do  we  find  genius  neglected  by  the  great,  but  cherished 
and  fostered  by  the  public,  and  flourishing  under  the  genial 
rays  of  its  favor.  In  the  long  list  of  sovereigns  who  have 
swayed  the  sceptre  of  proud  Albion,  how  many  are  there  wha 
stand  O'n  the  page  of  impartial  history  as  liberal  patrons  of 
literature  ?  Royal  bount3^  even  when  bestowed  at  all,  has 
rarely  cheered  an  author  of  merit  in  his  early  struggles  with 
adversity  and  indigence,  and  pensions  from  the  crown  have 
been  generally  withheld  until  the  individual  has  to  a  consid- 
erable extent  established  his  fortune  and  his  fame  by  his  own 
exertions.     The  most  ample,  the  most  seasonable,  and  in  every 


15 

respect  the  best  encouragement,  which  has  ever  been  extended 
in  Enghind  to  productions  of  genius  and  taste,  has  been  that 
of  the  booksellers  and  the  public  at  large.  This  kind  of  pat- 
ronage exerts  a  more  salutary  influence  than  that  of  govern- 
ment, or  even  that  of  illustrious  and  powerful  individuals,  and 
contributes  much  more  to  advance  the  dignity  and  happiness 
of  a  literary  life.  If  a  necessity  ever  existed  for  government 
])atronage  in  Great  Britain,  the  number  of  readers  is  now  so 
large  that  it  certainly  exists  no  longer.  In  the  language  of 
the  poet, 

"  Pensions  bestowed  where  no  Apollo  fires 
Are  vain, — superfluous  if  his  breath  inspires." 

An  author  of  talents  and  reputation  may  nov/  live  in  Eng- 
land independently  and  comfortably  upon  the  productions  of 
his  pen.  Many  have  acquired  competency,  and  some  afflu- 
ence, by  the  profits  of  their  works.  A  man  of  letters  is  now 
relieved  from  degrading  dependence,  and  need  not  violate  his 
feelings  of  self-respect  or  sink  his  personal  pride,  by  obsequi- 
ously soliciting  the  countenance  and  support  of  some  powerful 
patron.  He  is  not  expected  to  court  the  favor  of  the  great  by 
flattery,  as  too  many  once  did,  but  to  merit  the  approbation 
of  the  public  by  literary  excellence.  Government  patronage 
is  certainly  unfavorable  to  literary  independence,  and  to  the 
accuracy  and  impartiality  of  history. 

None  of  the  reasons  which  have  been  mentioned  as  ob- 
stacles to  the  intellectual  advancement  of  America  appear  to 
us  to  be  sufficient  to  prevent  the  United  States  from  hereafter 
rising  to  distinction  and  eminence  in  letters.  Our  nation  as 
regards  age  is  still  in  its  infancy.  It  has  been  only  sixty-five 
years  since  our  independence  was  recognized  by  the  parent 
country,  and  but  little  more  than  two  centuries  since  the  com- 
mencement of  our  national  existence.  Many  of  the  causes 
which  have  heretofore  retarded  the  growth  of  American  lite- 
rature are  destined  to  be  of  temporary  duration,  and  its  pros- 
pects must  improve  and  brighten  as  our  country  advances 
in  her  rapid   career.     Her   past   progress   in   population,  re- 


sources  and  power,  resembles  the  visions  of  romance  more 
than  the  realities  of  history.  When  American  independence 
was  acknowledged  it  was  scarcely  imagined  that  our  territo- 
rial limits  would  ever  extend  beyond  the  Mississippi,  nor 
was  it  very  probable  that  the  United  States  would  ever  ac- 
quire the  control  over  that  great  channel  of  communication ; 
but  the  "  ocean  stream,"  compared  with  which  the  Thames, 
"the  river  of  the  ten  thousand  masts,"  dwindles  into  a  rivu- 
let, now  rolls  on  in  its  gi'andeur  through  the  heart  of  our  coun- 
try. Our  national  domain  is  washed  by  the  billows  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Pacific.  It  is  indeed  a  noble  country,  with 
its  fertile  soil  and  genial  skies,  its  almost  interminable  line  of 
coast,  abounding  in  the  best  harbors,  its  long,  deep  and  navi- 
gable rivers,  and  its  broad  and  beautiful  lakes.  It  is  a  widely 
extended,  lovely  and  fruitful  land,  capable  of  sustaining  in  com- 
fort an  immense  number  of  inhabitants,  and  of  supplying  the 
wants  of  Europe  from  its  overflowing  abundance.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  United  States,  which  during  the  year  1790 
amounted  to  something  less  than  four  millions,  may  now  be 
estimated  at  twenty-two  millions,  an  increase  unparalleled  in 
the  history  of  mankind ;  and  in  the  course  of  another  half  cen- 
tury, no  long  period  in  the  life  of  a  nation,  it  will  in  all  human 
probability  exceed  one  hundred  millions  of  souls.  The  popu- 
lation of  this  country  must  at  some  future  time  amount  to  sev- 
eral hundred  millions.  Our  people  are,  in  general,  distinguished 
for  intelligence ;  and  in  perseverance,  energy  and  enterprise, 
they  are  nowhere  surpassed.  What  may  not  be  expected 
from  such  a  country,  and  such  a  population,  and  from  the  vivi- 
fying influence  of  American  freedom  ?  Our  literary  and  sci- 
entific institutions,  many  of  them  already  of  high  standing  and 
extensive  usefulness,  must  greatly  improve  with  the  growing 
fortunes  of  our  country.  They  must  be  more  liberally  patron- 
ized, and  must  shed  around  them  a  brighter  radiance  and  a 
more  cheering  light.  The  number  of  intelligent,  well  educated 
and  reading  men  in  the  United  States  must  be  immensely  in- 
creased, and  the  rewards  of  literary  merit  will  be  proportionably 
augmented.  The  American  author,  through  the  medium  of 
his  writings,  will  address  a  large  and  noble  audience  of  his 


17 

own  countrymen,  he  will  address  them  in  their  mother  tongue, 
and  not  unfrequently  upon  topics  of  the  deepest  national  inter- 
est. He  will  have  as  strong  incentives  to  animate  him  in 
the  pursuit  of  glory,  and  to  call  into  action  his  highest  powers, 
as  have  ever  been  presented  to  the  ambition  of  any  writer 
in  ancient  or  modern  times,  and  as  brilliant  rewards  will 
crown  his  success.  The  spontaneous  patronage  of  the  public, 
which  we  trust  we  have  shown  to  be  the  best  kind  of  literary 
patronage,  but  which  during  the  greater  part  of  our  history 
has  been  entirely  inadequate,  owing  to  our  sparse  population 
and  other  causes,  will  in  progress  of  time  become  liberal  and 
munificent.  And  when  the  American  author  shall  have 
reached  the  high  distinction  to  which  he  has  aspired,  his 
works  wall  commend  themselves  to  the  attention  of  Europe. 
The  eastern  sky  is  now  dawning,  with  radiant  light,  and  the 
march  of  freedom  and  reform  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic 
has  been  rapid  and  unparalleled.  Recent  revolutions  will  be 
favorable  even  to  the  literary  prospects  of  America.  The 
model  republic  is  constantly  gaining  more  and  more  the  at- 
tention and  respect  of  mankind  as  their  institutions  improve, 
and  as  she  herself  advances  onward  in  the  fulfillment  of  her 
high  destinies.  The  old  world  must  contemplate  with  a  deep 
and  increasing  interest  every  thing  which  relates  to  her 
history,  her  institutions,  and  her  literature.  American  writ- 
ings are  beginning  to  be  more  highly  esteemed  abroad.  Some 
of  our  very  recent  productions  have  been  already  translated 
into  the  French,  German,  Italian,  and  Spanish  languages.  Our 
national  writers,  with  such  advantages,  such  incentives,  and 
such  prospects,  cannot  be  doomed  to  inferiority  to  those  of 
Europe.  American  intellect  is  certainly  equal  to  that  of  the 
Eastern  World,  as  has  been  triumphantly  proved  by  our  splen- 
did success  in  war,  statesmanship,  jurisprudence,  and  the  me- 
chanic arts,  and  by  forensic  and  senatorial  eloquence  of  the 
highest  merit.  Heretofore  political  and  professional  pursuits, 
and  other  employments  of  active  life,  have  drawn  into  their 
vortex  the  best  talents  of  America.  But  as  other  paths  of 
fame  become  more  and  more  thronged,  and  the  rewards  and 
honors  of  authorship  increase,  as  they  certainly  must  in  a  very 

2 


18 

high  degree,  the  national  mind  will  take  a  more  literary  direc- 
tion, and  the  dignified  pursuits  of  letters  will  be  more  justly  ap- 
preciated.    The   high  degree  of  civil  liberty  enjoyed   by  the 
people  of  the  United  States  will  be  eminently  favorable  to  the 
full  development  of  their  intellectual  energies.     Liberty  has 
every  where  been  the  friend  of  genius.     Flowers  of  fancy  may 
be  more  easily  culled   on   American  soil   when  our  country 
o-rows  older,  and  richer  in   romantic  association.     Time  will 
lend  an   attractive   interest  to   the  events  of  our  past  history, 
and  render  them  more  fruitful   and  inspiring  themes  for  our 
native    muses.     The  national   pride  of  our  countrymen   will 
cause  them  to  bestow  a  liberal  encouragement  upon  our  own 
works  of  merit.     The  people  of  the  United  States  are  justly 
sensitive  to  the   attacks   of  European   criticism  upon  our  na- 
tional literature,  and  they  must  be  anxious  to  elevate  the  fame 
of  America.     No  enlightened  patriot  can  feel  indifferent  upon 
this  subject.     A  home  literature  such  as  America  ought  here- 
after to   produce  would  purify  our  national  taste,  elevate  the 
sentiments  of  our  people,  and  brighten  the  golden  links  that 
bind  the  patriot  to  the  land  of  his  birth.     It  would  exalt  the 
reputation   of  our  country  abroad,  and  with  posterity,  more 
than  the  most  heroic  achievements  of  the   crimsoned  field. 
How  little    should    we    have   known  of  the   most  renowned 
states  of  antiquity  but  for   the  immortal  productions  of  their 
orators,  their  historians,  and  their  poets.     These  imperishable 
memorials  of  ancient  genius  and  glory  are  destined  to  instruct 
and  delight  the  most  distant  generations.     Centuries  as  they 
have  rolled  away,  crumbling  beneath   them  the  monuments  of 
art  and  the  proud  trophies  of  arms,  have  only  contributed  to 
establish  and  elevate  the  fame  of  the  great  writers  of  antiquity. 
The  Greek  and  Roman  classics  have  been  studied  and  admir- 
ed in  every  age  and  in  every  land  where  mankind  have  been 
able  to  appreciate  the  grand  and  beautiful  in  composition.    To 
suppose  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  when  these  finished 
models  of  taste  shall  be  forgotten,  would  be  to  anticipate  the 
arrival  of  a  period  compared  with  which  the  sombre  gloom  of 
;the  dark  ages  would  be  a  golden  flood  of  light. 


19 


Gentlemen  of  the  Graduating  Class — 

You  have  now  completed  your  collegiate  education,  and 
you  are  about  to  commence  your  career  upon  the  active  drama 
of  life.  I  have  been  placed  in  the  same  position  which  you 
now  occupy,  and  know  well  how  to  appreciate  the  feelings 
which  animate  your  hearts.  You  have  looked  forward  to  the 
interesting  occasion  which  was  to  relieve  you  from  the  re- 
straints of  college  life,  and  allow  to  you  the  absolute  disposal  of 
your  time,  with  high  and  exciting  hopes.  It  has  often  been  the 
subject  of  your  youthful  day-dreams  and  of  the  bright  visions 
of  your  fancy.  It  has  often  been  the  favorite  topic  of  your 
social  hours.  You  have  fondly  looked  forward  to  the  present 
annual  Commencement  as  a  period  of  unmingled  joy  without 
one  cloud  of  care.  The  occasion  certainly  brings  along  with 
it  high  gratifications,  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  past,  and 
cheering  hopes  of  future  felicity.  Future  life,  unseen  except 
by  the  imagination,  and  entirely  untried,  now  brightens  before 
you  in  all  its  richest  charms.  The  prospect  must  be  an  agree- 
able one  of  a  speedy  meeting  with  dear  friends  and  affection- 
ate kindred,  and  of  revisiting  the  parental  hearth  and  the  home 
of  your  infancy,  that  asylum  which  has  been  rendered  sacred 
by  the  best  and  purest  feelings  of  the  heart.  But  the  fairest 
scenes  of  earthly  felicity  are  sometimes  tinged  with  shades  of 
sadness.  When  you  bid  adieu  to  your  esteemed  and  respected 
preceptors,  who  have  guided  your  footsteps  in  the  paths  of 
virtue,  science  and  learning,  whose  duties  may  sometimes  have 
required  them  to  oppose  your  inclinations,  but  who  always 
consulted  your  good,  and  whose  labors  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered with  affectionate  gratitude  ; — when  you  bid  a  long,  per- 
haps an  eternal  farewell  to  your  friends  and  fellow-students. 
the  beloved  and  cherished  companions  of  your  youth,  who 
have  prosecuted  the  same  improving  studies  and  shared  the 
same  delightful  amusements,  who  have  heightened  all  your 
joys  and  softened  your  sorrows,  and  whose  bosoms  have  been 
warmed  by  sympathies  entirely  congenial  to  your  own  ; — 
when  you  take  your  leave  of  this  venerable  seat  of  learning, 
and  the  shades  of  its  beautiful  and  classic  grove,  endeared  by 


20 

memory's  richest  treasures  and  by  a  thousand  associations  of 
the  past,  scenes  among  which  you  have  whiled  away  so  many 
pleasant,  so  many  happy  hours,  and  have  spent  so  much  of  the 
"  dewy  morning  of  hfe," — you  will  find  your  sensibilities  awak- 
ened, and  feelings  at  once  tender  and  pensive  springing  up  in 
your  breasts.  Wherever  you  may  go,  or  whatever  may  be 
your  destiny,  fond  recollection  will  linger  among  these  cher- 
ished objects.  Amid  the  pleasures  and  pursuits  of  subsequent 
life,  its  calamities  and  its  cares,  you  will  turn  with  unalienated 
aflection  to  this  lovely  and  sequestered  spot,  whei^e 

"  The  hills  and  flowers  and  streams 
Are  woven  o'er  with  golden  dreams." 

Fancy  will  often  bring  before  you  the  familiar  faces  of  your 
early  friends  and  companions.  Happy,  thrice  happy  will  you 
be,  if  you  shall  find  among  the  associates  of  your  manhood  the 
purity,  tenderness,  and  fervor  of  your  juvenile  frendships. 

My  return  to  this  hallowed  spot  of  my  youthful  studies  and 
enjoyments  has  been  a  source  of  high  though  not  unalloyed 
satisfaction.  Some  sad  recollections  shade  the  bright  picture 
which  memory  presents.  More  than  one-fourth  of  the  class 
with  which  I  graduated,  now  sleep  beneath  the  sod  of  the  val- 
ley, and  that  venerable  apostle  of  science  from  whose  hands 
we  received  our  diplomas,  has  since  gmie  down  to  the  tomb. 
The  early  grave  of  blooming  and  promising  youth  suddenly  cut 
down  by  the  scythe  of  death,  must  ever  excite  the  most  tender 
and  melancholy  sensations  ;  but  the  friends  of  the  departed  fa- 
ther of  this  University  need  not  sorrow  over  the  monument 
which  covers  his  remains. 

"  Weep  not  for  him,  who  closed  with  placid  ray 
The  tranquil  evening  of  a  well-spent  day. 
And,  all  life's  lienors  earned,  its  duties  done, 
Sank  in  full  radiance,  like  a  cloudless  sun." 

The  studehts  of  this  institution  have  frequently  been  ad- 
dressed upon  occasions  like  the  present  by  gentlemen  of  ta- 
lents and  of  high  distinction,  from  whose  lips  you  have  heard 
the  precepts  of  virtue  and  the  lessons  of  wisdom  recommended 


21 

by  all  tlie  charms  of  eloquence.  No  admonitions  of  mine  can 
merit  the  same  serious  consideration,  or  be  calculated  to  pro- 
duce an  impression  equally  strong  and  vivid.  My  solicitude, 
however,  for  your  future  welfare,  must  excuse  a  few  sugges- 
tions, which,  if  duly  remembered  in  after  life,  may  not  be 
entirely  destitute  of  some  good  effect,  Few,  very  few  are 
the  persons  in  North  Carolina  who  have  been  blessed  with  the 
superior  opportunities  of  intellectual  improvement  which  you 
have  enjoyed,  at  least  when  we  look  at  her  entire  population. 
The  well-educated  youths  of  the  State  ought  to  be  impressed 
with  a  high  sense  of  the  importance  and  responsibility  of  their 
position  in  society.  North  Carolina  must  rely  upon  her  most 
enlightened  sons  to  sustain  her  reputation  abroad,  and  ad- 
vance her  best  and  dearest  interests  at  home.  They  should 
not  be  insensible  to  the  suggestions  of  patriotism  and  a  becom- 
ing State  pride,  nor  disregard  the  wishes  of  that  honored  mo- 
ther. She  has  a  right  to  expect  most  from  those  who  have 
enjoyed  the  best  opportunities  of  mental  improvement,  and 
who  are  most  able  to  render  her  brilliant  and  useful  service. 
Those  of  you  who  reside  beyond  the  borders  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  it  affords  me  pleasure  to  be  able  to  say  that  every  gra- 
duating class  contains  young  men  from  a  distance,  wall  doubt- 
less feel  under  obligations  equally  strong  and  imperative  to- 
wards your  native  States. 

Be  not  hasty,  however,  to  embark  in  political  pursuits.  A 
premature  commencement  of  public  life  is  certainly  unfriendly 
to  the  prosecution  of  literary  and  professional  studies,  and  is 
sometimes  fraught  with  perilous  consequences  to  the  morals  of 
our  young  men.  Let  the  ambitious  youth  have  a  little  patience. 
He  should  be  content  to  remain  in  the  shade  of  retirement  for 
a  few  years,  in  order  that  his  talents  and  acquirements  may 
shine  in  the  legislative  councils  of  his  country  with  a  brighter 
lustre  and  a  more  genial  w-armth.  Let  him  wait  until  his  cha-' 
racter  has  been  formed,  his  habits  of  virtue,  morality  and  in- 
dusti-y  firmly  fixed,  his  intellect  sufficiently  cultivated,  strength- 
ened and  adorned,  and  his  knowledge  enlarged.  Let  him 
check  his  desire  for  preferment  until  he  has  become  thoroughly 
acquainted  wath  the  history,  the  institutions,  and  the  varied 


22 

interests  of  his  country.  He  will  thus  bring  into  the  public 
councils  more  moral  and  intellectual  strength,  and  more  dignity 
of  character,  brighter  displays  of  talent,  and  greater  capacities 
for  usefulness.  He  may  not  rise  so  speedily  in  the  political 
world,  but  he  will  at  last  gain  for  himself  a  more  enviable  dis- 
tinction, and  establish  a  fairer  title  to  the  public  gratitude.  A 
feverish  thirst  for  political  fame  in  early  life  has  rendered  many 
of  our  leading  men  mere  sciolists  in  literary  and  scientific  at- 
tainment. When  engaged  in  the  service  of  your  country, 
you  will  find  in  the  characters  of  many  of  the  departed  states- 
men of  the  republic,  as  examples  for  your  imitation,  the  most 
beautiful  models  of  disinterested  and  devoted  patriotism,  un- 
bending firmness,  and  spotless  purity,  models  not  surpassed  by 
those  of  antiquity.  If  you  should  pursue  the  noiseless  tenor 
of  your  way  among  the  peaceful  shades  of  domestic  retire- 
ment, even  in  that  secluded  situation  a  man  of  intelligence  and 
worth  may  accomplish  much  good.  He  may  set  an  example 
of  probity  for  the  imitation  of  others,  impart  a  healthier  tone 
to  public  sentiment  in  the  circle  around  him,  lend  his  influence 
to  the  cause  of  social  order,  and  purify  the  moral  atmosphere 
of  society  by  the  sweet  incense  of  his  virtues. 

Probably  some  of  you  may  devote  your  time  and  attention 
to  the  liberal  professions.  If  so,  never  rest  satisfied  with  a  dull 
mediocrity,  but  press  forward  with  zeal  and  energy  to  distinc- 
tion and  eminence.  Master  the  peculiar  learning  which  be- 
longs to  the  profession  which  you  may  select,  however  forbid- 
ding some  of  it  may  appear  to  minds  fresh  from  the  classics. 
Do  not,  however,  bid  farewell  to  the  charms  of  elegant  litera- 
ture. Cultivated  taste  and  literary  accomplishments  will  adorn 
and  dignify  professional  skill. and  talent,  and  afford  a  delightful 
recreation  to  cheer  and  enliven  the  leisure  hours  of  the  physi- 
cian or  the  lawyer.  Be  not  over-sanguine  as  to  speedy  suc- 
cess in  your  efforts  to  reach  the  honors  and  rewards  of  your 
profession,  nor  too  easily  dispirited  by  those  disappointments 
and  difliculties  which  many  of  the  most  gifted  and  eminent  men 
have  had  to  encounter  in  the  commencement  of  their  career. 

In  every  situation  of  human  life,  and  in  every  relation  of 
society,  you  should  discharge  all  of  your  duties  with  scrupu- 


23 

lous  fidelity.  Endeavor  to  form  a  cliaracter  which  shall  com- 
mand universal  respect,  and  present  to  the  shafts  of  calumny 
an  impenetrable  shield.  Let  high  honor,  inflexible  integrity, 
and  ingenuous  frankness,  distinguish  your  conduct  at  all  times. 
Abstain  from  every  act  as  to  the  moral  propriety  of  which  the 
least  difference  of  opinion  can  be  fairly  entertained  among 
men  of  understanding  and  worth.  The  honor  of  a  gentleman, 
like  a  soldier's  courage,  should  be  very  far  beyond  suspicion. 
Let  your  morals  be  pure  and  unexceptionable.  Shun  not  only 
odious  and  disreputable  vices,  but  also  those  which  may  be 
tolerated  by  the  public  sentiment  of  the  neighborhood  in  which 
you  may  reside,  and  which  are  apt  to  present  more  dangerous 
allurements  to  the  young.  Practice  the  virtues  of  temperance, 
moderation,  and  strict  self-control.  Amiability  of  disposition 
and  urbanity  in  your  social  intercourse  will  be  equally  essen- 
tial to  your  usefulness  in  society,  and  your  own  happiness. 
Be  careful  in  the  selection  of  your  intimate  associates,  and 
faithful  to  your  friends,  particularly  in  their  adversity.  Culti- 
vate feelings  of  generous  benevolence  towards  your  fellow 
man  of  every  color  and  every  condition.  Sad  would  be  human 
existence  if  the  sorrows  of  afflicted  humanity  should  find  no 
cheering  sympathy  in  the  breasts  of  the  intelligent,  the  edu- 
cated, and  the  refined.  Let  all  of  the  influence  which  you 
may  be  able  to  exercise  in  society,  be  exerted  for  purposes 
which  are  dear  to  the  patriot,  the  philanthropist,  and  the  Chris- 
tian. In  conclusion,  my  young  friends,  permit  me  to  express 
my  anxious  desire  for  your  future  welfare  and  happiness.  May 
your  ways  be  "  v/ays  of  pleasantness,"  and  all  your  paths  be 
peace.  ^.-^ 


.^. 


